What you are looking at here is the BMW Motorrad Concept 9Cento. It is a middleweight adventure-sport motorcycle concept that BMW showed off this past weekend in Lake Como, Italy – at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
The 9Cento Concept is an interesting look into BMW Motorrad’s mindset, with the German brand showing a new platform for its parallel-twin engines. The bike is sporty in nature, and focuses on providing a motorcycle that can do it all: fast canyon-carving, long-distance touring, and urban riding.
The adventure-sport is a crossover concept that BMW has latched onto already with its S1000XR model, and now it seems that the folks in Berlin are looking to add to that lineup even further, with chatter that the 9Cento is likely to become a production model in the near-ish future.
How much of the BMW 9Cento design makes it into production is of course the big question. One of the big features on the 9Cento is the luggage/seat arrangement, which uses the panniers (which attaches by using electromagnets) as a way to increase the passenger seat size.
It is a clever arrangement, and in a way it is surprising that this bag setup isn’t a design element that we have seen used before. Without the bags, the 9Cento is a proper sport bike, and with the panniers installed, it becomes a well-shod tourer. As such, choose your poison.
This makes for a sport-touring motorcycle that makes fewer compromises between its sporty and touring elements, which is part of the allure of the ADV and adventure-sport segments.
As for the rest of the machine, BMW Motorrad makes interesting use of machined metals and carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) body panels. The lighting is all LED, which is becoming common place now, especially on European bikes.
“It doesn’t always have to be about ‘bolder, bigger, brighter’ nowadays: this concept bike focuses on achieving a sense of balance,” said Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design BMW Motorrad. “We’ve created a bike that combines the appropriate power with reliable sports touring properties and above all lots of riding fun, so it’s an attractive overall package.”
“It brings together the best of the sports, adventure and touring segments to produce an exciting concept – in a class which has not seen this kind of model from BMW before. The BMW Motorrad Concept 9cento is our interpretation of a modern all-rounder for the new mid-range segment.”
“Functional properties such as touring capability, storage space and wind/weather protection are relevant to most motorcyclists but they’re rarely included in the design of a concept vehicle.”
“In this year’s concept bike we’re demonstrating that all these rational aspects can be coupled with a dynamic design to create something really exciting and highly emotional.”
We doubt we will see the 9Cento become a production machine at this year’s trade shows in Cologne and Milan, buy keep your eye out over the next few model years. This isn’t the last that we have seen of this idea from the German brand.
